Universal flanging and bending machine



Dec. 24, 1935. A. WACHTER 2,025,222

QUNIVERSAL FLANGING AND BENDING MACHINE Filed March 3, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. 1

Dec. 24, 1935.

A.-WACHTER UNIVERSAL FLANGING -AND BENDING MACHINE Filed March 3, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 lnvenfor: W

Dec. 24,1935. A. WACHTER UNIVERSAL FLANGING AND BENDING MACHINE I 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 3, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF-ICE UNIVERSAL FLANGING BENDING MACHINE August Wachter, Weingarten in Wurttemberg, Germany Application March 3, 1933, Serial No. 659,543 In Germany November 4, 1930 4 Claims. (01. 153-16) The object of the invention is a universal flanging and bending machine with a fixed bottom plate or anvil block and vertically movable clamp head or top clamp plate arranged between two frames. The flange of an iron plate to be bent is V securely clamped over the length of the clamping plates and an oscillating bender is arranged by which the iron plate is lifted, the edge portion of the iron plate being firmly secured.

Hitherto, it was not yet possible to continuously flange iron sheets of one length'exceeding the distance between the two side frames. I It has been proposed on flanging machines to use ring segment like bearings for the bearing of the bender and ring segment shaped journals. In these flanging machines, the clamping top block was pressed on to the iron plate to be bent and the bender was oscillated from the front by a hand lever. But, the ring segment shaped bearings and journals made an insertion of the iron sheet only possible in the longitudinal direction of the bender, that is, not from the front side of the machine, as is customary in the operation of the ordinary bending machine.

It-was also only possible to flange iron plates of comparatively small width which cannot be greater than the distance of the handle of the lever for the bender from the segment bearings of the bender itself.

It is the object of the invention, to make it possible in flanging machines with fixed anvil block, vertically adjustable clamping block and oscillating bender, to insert and to flange iron plates of any width and of a length greater than the distance between the side frames, without disturbing the attendance of the machine.

According to the invention the arrangement is carried out in such a way that. the bearing arms of the bender have bearing journals which are constructed as ring segments extending over a distance of about 270, while the frames have ring segment like bearings in whichthese ring segment journals of the bender rotate. The arrangement in the side frames is carried out in such a manner that the end surfaces of the ring segment like bearings and the journalswhenthe bender is in its lowest positionare about in the vertical plane of the frame and, on the other hand, extend in the horizontal plane forming the continuation of the upper edge of the anvil block,

so that the surfaces serve at the same time as.

has been produced which makes it possible that all drives are superfluous which are situated outside of the frames of the fianging machine and which are a hindrance to the sliding through of longer iron plates.

The feature of the drive consists in the fact that the driving elements (the gear wheel box with motor and geared transmission mechanism) fl are fixed directly to the anvil block or bottom plate.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred form of the invention,

Figure l is a partial front elevation of the flanging machine Without drive; Fig. 2 a side view of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a plan view of an iron plate-15 ofa greater length than the length of the bender with the successivebites separated by cuts; Fig. 4 is a view of a cross section and Fig. 5 the front view partly in section of the gear for the bending plates; Fig. 6 is a. front elevation of the flanging 20 machine in an elevated position and Fig. 7 a front elevation of the machine in a lowered position with the gearing carried by the bottom plate.

According to Figs. 1 to 3, the arms A and A of the bender B are journaled within the frames 25 C, C, as well as the top clamping block E. F shows the clamped iron plate. The oscillating bearing of the bender in the. frames 0, C is effected in such a manner that the arms A and A show bearing journals D constructed as ring seg- 30 ments and which serve for the bearing in the the frames C and C are present which hinder the 4.6

feed of the iron plates. The width of the flange corresponds at the most to the radius R of the bore of the bearing, the length of the bites correspond to the length of the bender.

By this new arrangement it is possible in a45 simple and advantageous manner to flange iron plates of any desired length with a flanging machine of a certain size. If desired the cuts between the bites may be closed by welding after the flanging is completed.

According to Figures 4 t0 '7, G is the gear wheel casing which is affixed directly on the anvil block H. The electric motor J rotating in one direction is flanged onto the gear wheel casing G from where it is coupled to a worm K which drives 21- shaft M, is constructed as a friction coupling.

. wheels.

It is a coupling of sheets in which the sheets N are connected with the worm wheel L and the sheets. 0 with the shaft M. The sheets are' pressed together by the threaded bush P and the flat springs Q with a certain elastic pressure so that in case of an overloading in bending or fianging, the friction coupling functions and obviates a breakage of a transmission element or of a plate.

The movement of the bending jaw B is effected by two suitably guided rack bars S which are pivoted at the left and right on pivot pins I of the bending jaw B and are actuated by pinions T on the shaft U which is supported at both ends in bearing brackets I5 (Figs. 6 and 7) The shaft U is rotated from the shaft M by the aid of spur For this purpose, two gear wheels 2 are arranged on the shaft M, one of which engages directly the gear wheel 3, while the other gear 2 is in operative connection with the gear 5, through an intermediate gear 4. Two couplings are arranged on the shaft M and depending upon the direction in which it is desired to rotate the shaft, either coupling is thrown into mesh with one of the two gears 2. The shaft V for the adjustment of the top and bottom plate is also driven from the shaft M. For this purpose, the

shaft M is provided with a gear '6 which meshes with a gear I, and with a gear 9 which meshes with a gear 8. According to the desired rotation of the shaft, the couplings arranged on the shaft V are engaged with the gears I or 9, respectively.

' The improvement in the drive consists in the fact that by the arrangement of the gear wheel casing G on the anvil block,

1. All gears on the frames are dispensed with; 2. The machine becomes much more accessible as to all of its parts;

'3. The danger for the worker arising from various driving elements, is directly excluded;-

4. That the gear wheel casing is moved along with the adjustment of the anvil block and,

therefore, several gearings are done away with;

in Figure 6, the anvil block H with gear wheel casing G, driving shaft U, worm wheel shaft V,

worm wheel box X, connecting lever Y and Y etc. are shown in their highest and in Figure 7 in their lowest position;

The adjustment of the anvil block H takes place by the aid of screw-threaded spindles 20, 2| driven by the worm gear in the box X from the worm shaft V. The anvil block is equipped with nuts, in the well known manner, whereas the spindles 20 and 2! are screw-threaded on a suitable length so that the anvil block or, the upper clamping plate E can be raised and lowered on the spindles at will.

5. By the direct drive of bender B which engages with the aid of toothed rack or toothed segments S at l, the exactness of the bites is es-' sentially increased especiallyas the torsions "and twistings of the bender,which principally occur in machines with a great working length, are obviated. The usual manner of driving the bender by toothed segments arranged laterally on the main frames causes a transmission of the whole torsion moment on to the bender by the journals of the pivoting arms, while in the new method of driving the pivoting arms are only used for carrying and adjusting the bender.

'ing levers to the anvil block of the machine.

In regard to the throwing in and throwing out I of the clutches in the gear wheel casing for the oscillation of the bender or upwards and downwards movement of the clamping and anvil blocks, two possibilities are given. The couplings 5 can be operated by hand by means of the two levers Yand Y or by means of the pedals Z and Z, which together with the other clutch operating members are shiftably arranged on the shaft 30 and for the convenience of the operator may 10 be shifted for instance from the position shown in full lines to the position shown in dash lines.

Whereas for the connecting and disconnecting by hand two operators are usually necessary,

chine by foot action, the oiitput of the machine 20 remaining the same. v

What I claim is:

1. A bending machine of the class described, comprising a pair of end frames C, 0' each provided with a bearing open on the side corre- 5 sponding to the front side of the frame; an anvil block H between said end frames for holdingthe work plate, a vertically movable clamping block above said anvil block,. a bender having journals mounted in the said bearings of the 30 end frames, said journals being open on one side so that the work plate can be readily placed, moved longitudinally and removed from the anvil block, means operative on the lower side of the bender for impartingoscillating movement 35 thereto from and to the anvil block to cause the upper working edge of said bender to cooperate with the anvil block to bend and then release the work plate, the said bender operating means being located under the anvil block and.v spaced from said end frames.

2. A bending machine as claimed in claim 1, in which the means for operating the bender comprises a toothed bar pivotally connected to the lower side of the bender and a pinion mounted for rotation and engaging said toothed bar.

3. Ina universal flanging and bending machine a clamp n device comprising a vertically movable upper plate and a fixed anvil block, an oscillating bender in front of the anvil block and adapted to operate upon the material to be bent, and means carried by the anvil block for actuating the clamping device and the bender;

said means for actuating the clamping device and the bender comprising a main drive gear and a gear box for the sa e, said main drive gear being constructed as a friction coupling by which an overloading of parts of the machine is prevented.-

4. In a universal flanging and bending machine a clamping device comprising a vertically movable upper plate and a fixed anvil block, an oscillating bender in front of the anvil block and adapted to operate upon the material to be treated, and means carried by the anvil block for. actuating the clamping device and the bender; said means comprising a friction coupling, gear wheels, connecting and disconnecting levers and a gear box, said box being fixed together with all gear wheels and the connecting and disconnect- AUGUST WACH'I'ER. 

